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W. Timothy Gallwey is a well-known name in sports and coaching. Born in 1938, Tim developed ‘yoga tennis’ at the John Gardiner Tennis Rachn and the Esalen Sports Center in California prior to writing this book. His 1974 book, written before sports psychology was a discipline, focused on the inner game, those inner habits of mind which inhibit excellence in performance. Tim writes about the art of relaxed concentration above all other skills – which is the foundation for self-confidence and not trying too hard.
In his 1997 revision, Tim talks about the modern acceptance of the revolutionary ideas he presented in 1974. He allows that good coaching can help, yet the responsibility to get out of one’s own way rests with the individual. He further describes the Inner Game approach as “a simple way to develop certain inner skills that can be used to improve any outer game.”
The pioneer coaches in the United Kingdom, including Sir John Whitmore, Graham Alexander and Myles Downey, were and are practitioners of the Inner Game approach to coaching. Laura Whitworth, co-founder of The Coaches Training Institute, shared with me that Tim Gallwey was her first coach.
How has the Inner Game influenced your outer games?
- Vikki G. Brock, Ph.D., EMBA, MCC
- Team Lead – Hall of Fame, Virtual Museum
- www.vikkibrock.com coach@vikkibrock.com
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There are 2 Responses so far...
When I think about Tim Gallwey my mind opens in a very wide way. He is not only an excelent Coach but a Master that has so much to teach, to tell, to share. As the mission of a real Coach. First to show who really is him, to give a hand to others to find their own path.
Hi Carla,
You are so right about Tim Gallwey opening up peoples minds, even today. He wrote the Inner Game of Tennis 35 years ago – it is a book that opened a whole new paradigm for athletics and coaching in 1974 that is valid for peoples lives today.
Vikki G. Brock
Director, History and Archive Division
The Coaching Commons